Here’s a look at the Mercedes-Benz Concept Fascination. It will be making a debut at the Paris auto show next month. The video here showcases typical car show stuff: light electronica over moving pictures in which the car itself never moves. Apparently this car is based on the lines of the next E-Class family. More scoop on this concept after it arrives to the show.

A bunch of Islamic phones have been designed by the company called Per Design; the set of PDAs look divine…literally. Not much around to write about them except that there are four variants designed. Apparently the phones have been based on the understanding of Islam and religious elements were used in the design theme. It proposes to be a handy device when one is on the pilgrimages. The month of Ramadan is on, so maybe a few devout will benefit from it.

With the advent of the iPod, somehow the industrial standard with MP3 players has been conformed to the rectangular stance. The only cylindrical form that found little success was probably the Sony S203F. The Cicle.Cute C2 design holds a candle to this design but unlike the Sony, is designed with its own personal dock. Designed by Qiu Kelei, this “Three Wrap Music Player System design” is pictured in a bright blue form. It comes with earbud and the dock seems to integrate its own speakers and function keys as well. Although nothing much can be deciphered for the moment, this desing for an MP3 player catches one’s eye more for its looks than tch-specs, in any case.

What goes on in an individual’s mind while designing a portfolio is quite difficult to comprehend; did Venezuelan designer Juan Pablo Zamora want to cash in on the Apple fame? Did he want create his take on the company, or is it a convenient piggy-back? It’s a tough spot, but I guess, the way designers are going about spoofing just about any thing with a big company name logo, makes me wonder about the inspirations? The iBike clearly wants to hitch a ride on the Apple name, thus the glowing logo on the black bike. However, giving the devil the due, it’s an interesting concept. I love the wheels of the bike; Juan has done a good job, doing away with the spokes.

Human error is by far the biggest cause of intelligence failure and security breach. Late at night I find my apartment watchman fast asleep on the bench, I’m sure many of you must be facing a similar situation at work or home, where vulnerable human tendencies gave way to security threats. The Access Control Robot is an intelligent robot that can be used as a gatekeeper. With features like face recognition and ID scanning, the bot is capable of filtering the people at access point. It even has the capability to read papers, and note down and track the vehicles exiting and entering the premises. With the given status if red-alerts and terrorist acts, it’s always better to be armed and ready. The Access Control Robot is a small step in enhanced security for modernized office buildings, office, bank and private villa etc.

I don’t know why do designers like to live in the past. Modern times have dunked the old rotary styled phones for the sleek futuristic options, and now futuristic designers are delving into the time warp to come out with inspired phones. The Circle Phone for some reason also has the tag line of Love To Backwards; don’t ask me why! The designer ½ð ÀÖ has been clearly inspired by the old dial phones, thus his creation Circle Phone is built on this ancient concept with modern twist. The keypad is located all around the rim of the dial. The receiver and the transmitter have been place at opposite ends of the phone (how innovative! Pun fully intended!)And it comes along with a charging base that allows you to juice up from there.Source

The MP3 player with a 4.1 Surround Sound System sounds like any run-of-the-mill gadget. This misconception lasts only till you don’t view this Packard Bell concept by Vincent Palicki. In this design the MP3 is in the form of a small remote that has a hollow to one side. The controls are situated on this end. When you want to hook it up to the surround sound system, all you have to do is place the hollow end of the player on top of the system, where a toggle receives it. Essentially the system has two contractors to plug the MP3 for transferring your music, recharging the player etc. You can even use the sound system as PC speakers and as an autonomous HiFi.

The saying goes…too many cooks spoil the broth; however this does not apply to the creative minds of Vincent Palicki, Jean Hong and Antoine Harpages. We this team sat down for some serious ramblings, they conjured up such an exquisite design for a washing machine, that you wish you could get your hands on one pronto. The 3Dion is WiFi enabled intelligent machine conceptualized for Arcelor. Dispensing the right amount of detergent, to diagnosing the idea program for the wash load, this fully automatic machine does everything. Although not specified I feel the WiFi capabilities is to allow users to remotely start a wash program via their mobile phone or net connection. The machine sports a very smart led indicator with an ergonomic interface and incorporates materials that makes the machine less noisy when working.

It’s the winning entry for the Crystal Vision competition, and rightly so because this Swarosvki mouse designed by Jeremy Doherty, Simon Doherty, and Dareen Doherty is simply divine. The pink crystal set amidst a porcelain white backdrop looks alluring and regal. The concept is best defined in the designers’ own words:

There is a reason why I like Vincent Palichki very much, he now only designs some of the most useful house hold items like coffee pots, or phones. He has gone the extra mile to design a Sony MP3 player for women…so that includes me! Mr. Palichki this is a very cheeky way of scoring brownie points with women, but here they are well deserved. The soft rounded contours just like a woman’s curves. The pale translucent coloring and the minimal red trimmings, give the player a classy look. The very thoughtful Mr. Palichki, also has included a soft covering for the player (how did he know that we like taking care of our things in this way!) and has designed very comfortable looking earbuds as well. I’m sure they won’t get in the way of our earrings, because that is what normally happens! Well till this one doesn’t jump off the drawing board, lemme just lust after it in the picture!